Topeka High clung to a late lead versus the Blue Jay Girls Tuesday night in “The Dungeon,” of downtown Topeka. JCHS 54 – THS 55.
The Blue Jay Boys held a lead through most of the contest, and pulled out a Tuesday night victory on the road against the Trojans of Topeka High. JCHS 66 – THS 58.
Reported by: Matt Barnes
By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post
The Bo Black era at Hays High school lasted all of one season. Coach Black today announced he has accepted a teaching and head football coaching position at Shawnee Mission Northwest.
Black led the Indians to an undefeated Western Athletic Conference title and was named coach of the year. Hays was 7-2 on the year, but missed the playoffs with a 1-2 district record. Black has spent the past 14 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, 13 of those in Great Bend. Black has an overall coaching record of 89-49.
Coach Black said that was content with his job in Hays, but when Shawnee Mission Northwest came calling, the opportunity was just too good to pass up. The job opportunity didn’t become available until December and proceeded quickly from there.
Black said of Hays, “It’s a great place to live, it’s a great place to raise a family, it’s a great school district to teach in. (There) are a lot of things that are really, really good here.”
The new job though from a football coaching opportunity was a big draw. “From the football coaching perspective, it’s just a better opportunity professionally with some really good things happening up there.”
The Shawnee Mission Northwest is a 6A school and competes in the Sunflower League. The Cougars went 2-7 this past season and have had losing seasons each of the past four years. The Cougars last made the playoffs in 2010, going 6-5.
Black and his family plan to remain in Hays for the rest of the 2nd semester, where he will serve as head track coach. His wife was also able to find a teaching position in the Shawnee Mission school district.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Longtime Royals executive Dean Taylor is retiring from the front office, 
part of a shakeup of the American League champions’ baseball operations department.
Taylor began his career in Kansas City in the early 1980s and spent time with the Atlanta Braves before becoming GM of the Milwaukee Brewers. He also worked for the Dodgers and Reds before returning to the Royals organization in 2006.
Royals GM Dayton Moore said Taylor will serve as a consultant.
Among other moves Monday, J.J. Picollo was promoted to vice president and assistant GM in charge of player personnel; Rene Francisco was appointed assistant GM of major league and international operations; Scott Sharp was made assistant GM of baseball operations; and Jin Wong became the assistant GM of baseball administration.
Three K-State seniors, quarterback Jake Waters, wide receiver Curry Sexton, and defensive end Ryan
Mueller, will compete in the Medal of Honor Bowl, a postseason all-star game at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday. The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ( CT ), and will be televised by NBC Sports Network.
All three Wildcats will play for the American team coached by Willie Jeffries, who held a 180-132-6 career record between stops at South Carolina State, Wichita State, and Howard.
Jack Parr, a two-time All-American at Kansas State, and just one of 10 basketball players to have his jersey honored by the school, passed away on Sunday at the age of 78 at home in Lindsborg, Kansas.
A 6’9 center from Richmond, Virginia, Parr played three seasons for Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Fred “Tex” Winter from 1955-58. He helped the Wildcats to a 54-21 record during his playing career, which included a trip to the 1958 Final Four and Big Seven Conference titles in 1956 and 1958.
Known for his hook shot and soft “face the basket” jumper, Parr was twice named an All-American in his career, earning second team honors from the Helms Foundation and Converse Yearbook as a junior in 1957, and third team accolades as a senior in 1958 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was also an All-Big Seven Conference selection three consecutive seasons from 1956 to 1958.
A member of both the state of Kansas and the Kansas State University Sports Hall of Fame, Parr was among the first to have his jersey retired by K-State on Fe. 5, 2005. He was also a member of the school’s 13-member All-Century Basketball Team released in 2003.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Frank Mason had 18 points and seven assists, Wayne Selden added 16 points and No. 13 Kansas pulled away late to beat UNLV 76-61 on Sunday in the Jayhawks’ non-conference 
finale.
Perry Ellis also had 16 points, Kelly Oubre had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Cliff Alexander scored 10 off the bench to help the Jayhawks (11-2) win their 15th straight at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas led just 63-57 with less than 6 minutes to go, but Mason assisted on a pair of baskets as the Jayhawks scored nine straight points to help put the game away.
Christian Wood had 12 points and eight boards for UNLV (9-5), which has never beaten Kansas in five tries. Cody Doolin also had 12 points, and Rashad Vaughn and Jelan Kendrick had 10 apiece.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Phil Forte scored 20 points — seven of those during a decisive seven-
minute stretch in the second half — and Oklahoma State kicked off the Big 12 Conference schedule with a 61-47 victory over Kansas State on Saturday.
Le’Bryan Nash scored 11 points and had six rebounds for the Cowboys (11-2, 1-0 Big 12).
Thomas Gipson scored 14 points to lead Kansas State (7-7, 0-1), which lost its third straight contest.
Trailing 29-27 at halftime, Oklahoma State made a strong push early in the second half, going on a game-changing 25-4 run that included 15-straight points. The Cowboys built up a 54-37 lead after Jeff Newberry connected on a 3 from the left baseline with 11:16 to go.
The game hadn’t seen more than a six-point lead before that OSU run.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals have signed veteran right-hander Ryan Madson to a minor 
league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.
The 34-year-old Madson hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2011, when he was 4-2 with a 2.37 ERA and 29 saves for the Phillies. He signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati for the following season, but he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery in spring training.
Madson attempted a comeback with the Angels last season but made only one appearance for Class-A Inland Empire before hurting his elbow again.
Madson is 47-30 with a 3.59 ERA and 52 saves in 491 big league appearances.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Quarterback Brett Hundley led No. 14 UCLA to a 31-6 halftime lead and
the Bruins held off No. 11 Kansas State 40-35 on Friday night in the Alamo Bowl.
Kansas State (9-4) scored 22 of the first 25 points in the second half, cutting it to 34-28 on quarterback Jake Waters’ 1-yard run with 4:54 left.
Paul Perkins countered for UCLA (10-3) with a 67-yard run with 2:20 to go. Waters threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett with 1:21 left, but UCLA recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Perkins ran for 194 yards on 20 carries.
Lockett had 13 catches for 164 yards for Kansas State.
Waters was 31 of 48 for 338 yards, but was sacked seven times – twice by Butkus Award winner Eric Kendricks – and threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Hundley ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and passed for 136 yards.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Kansas wide receiver Nigel King will skip his senior season and enter the NFL 
draft.
King had 29 catches for 518 yards and one touchdown during his only season with the Jayhawks. He began his career at Maryland and transferred to Kansas after earning his degree.
The decision was announced Friday.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound wide receiver transferred to Kansas in part to play for coach Charlie Weis and wide receiver coach Eric Kiesau. Weis was fired four games into the season, and new coach David Beaty was introduced a few weeks ago.
Kansas was already losing wide receivers Nick Harwell, Justin McCay and Tony Pierson to graduation, along with tight end Jimmay Mundine. King’s decision will leave the Jayhawks with the greenest wide receiver corps in the Big 12 next season.